Summer is in full swing!

         Where are the weeks going!  We are into the middle of our summer season and the weather has been spectacular.  We seem to get rain when we need it...everything has stayed so green this summer.  The flowers are growing after the cool spring.  The pool is crowded most days.  The temps are 75-80 and sunny most days, with little or no humidity.  Our idea of a perfect forecast. 

         I promised these guests that their photos would get on the blog... so here's a collection of fish pictures and everything else that has happened in the last 3 weeks!  More to come....

Thad Erickson had a great week catching and releasing some beautiful walleyes!

Not to be outdone, his brother caught some beautiful walleyes as well...here's Thad & Chad!

Colton got to fish with grandpa and they caught this giant crappie...mom had to help him hold it!  If he's anything like his grandpa, he's got some intense fishing years ahead of him!

It's not the size of the fish...it's the experience!  Justine was just as proud of her catch off the dock!

And her brother, Brad, showed off his catch of northerns.

He's a die-hard fisherman!!

Every year during the 4th of July week, Sue catches her walleyes!  Her son, Ryan, might lay claim to one of these??

Abby catches a giant walleye every year she's here!!  I think she's going to be a guide when she grows up!

This sign appeared on the pirate ship last week...Jillian seemed oblivious to the message!

"GROSS...GET RID OF SLIMY GIRLS"

And here's the culprit cousins responsible for that great sign!  They were cleaning the pirate ship and seemed to think they could keep girls away...no chance!

This little girl seems to love Papa's ice cream cones!

This was Peyton's first trip to CRLodge and he was one happy camper!  Next year he'll be running around and hard to catch!

The new paddleboards continue to be the best entertainment week after week!

Grandson Nathan ventured out one day with the big kayak...and had to be rescued by his brother & cousin...they took the rescue seriously...and Nathan loved being pulled to shore!

Siblings Sam & Max modeling the new hat/t-shirt combos...how can you resist??

Grandsons Will & Greyson brought their lemonade stand on vacation and served lemonade and cookies to the guests at the beach...FREE!

Nathan thought it was the best idea all summer!  He was their best customer!

Tyler showed his Mom that he was an expert at roasting marshmallows!

We had some threatening clouds on the 4th of July evening...the rain only lasted a short time...the fireworks in Bemidji went on as planned after the showers.

The sky lightened up towards the end of the shower...and we had a double rainbow...hard to get a photo of the awesomeness of the sky!

And my week ended up on a high note...I had been without a washer & dryer for 2-3 weeks...

and my dream of a front-loading set is now fulfilled!  The redecorating will have to wait until fall...

that's fine...at least I can be the laundry queen once again!

Do you need a vacation??  We still have a cabin open July 16-23rd for 2-6 people!  Give us a call or go HERE

to see pictures of cabin #4...a beautiful 3 bedroom cabin right on the water's edge.  We'd love to give you a wonderful vacation experience with your family!

Last Week at the Resort...

         Life is about as busy as it can be at Cedar Rapids Lodge!  We have seen one of the best fishing years in a long time.  We have these posters in the lodge...



         All the fish in Medicine Lake that are caught and released are recorded on these posters each year.  The guests each week check the board to see what was caught last week...well, last week this year we filled the walleye column in just a few days.  I had to add another page to the poster for the rest of the summer.  This has NEVER happened!  That's how good the fishing has been!

         Here's a couple of photos of last week's catches....

David with his nice walleye...caught & released & on the poster...

Billy with his walleye...

Conrad caught this whopper northern on the paddleboard!

         Even the resort dog scored last week...this cabin brought treats for her and she figured that out right away!

How can you resist a face like this??

Might as well take a snooze in between treats!

         And this week...last night....we had one of the rainiest nights this season!  The guests had left during the day, going to the movie, bowling, shopping, eating, whatever they could find to do on a rainy day...we had an event on the activity schedule for last night that was wonderful on a rainy evening....FAMILY BINGO!

Almost 50 people showed up for the first ever Family Bingo and it was a hit!  Cards were 25 cents each game and the winner each time split the pot with the lodge...and the last game was blackout, so that winner(s) got the winnings from each games "split the pot"...2 lucky people shared $28.50 in cash!  No, I don't have a gambling license...if you give all the money away, do you need one??

And to end the post, I just have to share my purple perennial bed with you...the picture doesn't do it justice, but it's beautiful! 

We look forward to seeing all of you coming in the next few weeks...and we'll try and hold the rain for you!



Prayer Request...

The guy in the middle, Greg, needs your prayers!

         Disregard the short guy on the left...the 3 big guys are the Ammon boys.  They were our first guests in 2010 and I posted this photo on the blog at that time.  They came back this year in May to fish...Grandson Nathan greeted them when they arrived.  Greg is in the hospital and is a very sick guy.  He had pneumonia and a severe infection in his lungs.  He is in a drug-induced coma while they try and get him better.  His wife, Jana, is by his side and his little girl, Jessica, is there too. 

         The Ammon family is very special to us...they're like family.  So I thought if I told you about them here that you could join us in praying for Greg and for his healing.  God answers prayers and we are giving Greg to Him so that He can heal him...so he can come fishing again and be healthy again.

         Tell all your prayer partners to include Greg in their prayers.  We have trust in the Lord and we know He can heal Greg. 

         Thank you for all your prayers! 



June Photo Album...

         All of a sudden we are thrust into a very busy job...running this beautiful resort full of  guests who are having a great time catching fish, swimming, relaxing and spending precious time with their family.  After a late spring arrival, summer seems to have arrived!  The fishing has exploded, so much that I'm wrapping fish for the guests and I forget to take pictures of their catch before they make it to the fish house.  Here's a collection of June photos of life at Cedar Rapids Lodge.

The ladyslippers are in full bloom on the trail.

Miss Tilly Turtle arrived to find a place to lay her eggs.

Mama deer with her fawn born just a couple of days ago...on the Elfun Trail.

Saturday between guests was time to bring the equipment in to landscape around the new cabin.

These guys only had a 6 hour window to grade the yard, add black dirt and hydro seed the lawn.

They finished the job and pulled out at 3:15p.m., just as the guests for the new cabin were pulling in!  Now to watch grass grow!

Talk about watching grass grow, John & Jim were entertained one day watching a "lost" camper pull into our narrow driveway and then attempt to back up and drive out...he had to unhook the car he was towing and re-attach it after he got backed up and on the road again.  We all agreed that we wouldn't want to drive that rig and pay for the gas!

2 little girls came to visit one weekend and became reacquainted....

and then helped Nana deliver a pizza to a cabin...

And these hooligans with their light sabers just never get enough daylight to cover all the territory they want to!

Papa always has help from someone eager to do the same things his Papa does!

Lu is going to be a great pool cleaner someday!  He just loves netting all the bugs out of the water!

The flowers are all planted and the boats are in their spots on the dock.

Cal always loves fishing with Grandpa the Great...what memories!  And a nice crappie!

Nate & Jill couldn't wait to play on the beach...don't be fooled...this is not a "topless" beach!

If you're 2...you can swim like Tarzan! 

The new paddleboards have been used for various activities...

Conrad wanted to be the first one to catch a fish off the paddleboard....and he did!

And if you're Tarzan, you can get a ride from your big brother and giggle all the way!

(disclaimer...they were in about 4 inches of water so no life jackets)

Billy caught a net full of fish the first day of his vacation!

Crappies, walleyes, northern...and his trusty knife!

Leigha had to show us this blue & silver bluegill before she released it...it was really sparkly in the night lights!

She had a fun time with her Dad after potluck, catching a mix of a bucketful of crappies and bluegills!

And most importantly......

Sour Brite Crawlers are back this year!!!

Have a great summer everyone...and check back for more fun vacation photos!